 Hey everybody and welcome to my long in-process blog from the Dopey Challenge 2025 at Walt Disney World. I know I've been sharing Vlogs about my Dopey Challenge Journey and I'll be linking them into this update as well. But I'm old school. I like being able to write down my thoughts about something so monumental that I was able to do in my life. Not only for myself personally, but also the ability to give something back through donations to the American Cancer Society. Something that is very meaningful to me. And while I'm still clinging to the Dopey being "one and done" for me, I will be back with Team Determination most likely in 2026 for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. So stay tuned. Let's get on with it and move back to January 7, 2025. Over 2 months ago (and maybe close to 3 by the time I actually get this posted). As I made my way from Southern California to Orlando to begin my challenge. Day Zero - Travel Day  Seeing these signs made it more real  If you didn't take a picture of the MCO carpet, did you even go to Orlando?  Oddly enough, my first stop on my Dopey Challenge journey would not be at Disney World, but at Universal Orlando. I booked Aventura on my arrival night in hopes that I could head over to Islands of Adventure and get a nighttime ride on my favorite coaster.  I made it!  My first ever nighttime ride on my favorite coaster. It did not disappoint. And my first coaster of 2025. The year I also turn 50. So it was a good one to start with.    A few pics of the room at Aventura. I'll be honest, this was the 4th hotel we've stayed at on Universal Property, and it's 3rd out of the 4 for me. I much prefer Cabana Bay for a similarly priced hotel.  Only Dockside comes in below Aventura for me TBH. Day One - Expo Day Expo Day is here, but I've got some time to kill before my room at All Star Movies is ready, so after a quick boat ride I found myself back at Islands of Adventure.  Early entry is the best. 2 rides on Hagrid's and 3 on Velocicoaster before the park even opened!  And of course a quick trip to the Studios for a visit with my buddy E.T..  On my way to Disney World, had to make a stop for supplies. I think this makes me an honorary Floridian or something.  We'll get back to a tour of All Star Movies soon, but I absolutely love the decorations people had in their windows.  This was when it got REALLY real   I was wholly unprepared for how large the expo was, or what a party it is.   Merch Haul!
 After the expo I decided to head over to Disney's Animal Kingdom for a last (could have also been my first) ride on TriceraTop Spin.   And of course a ride on Everest. Below you'll see my training wrap-up and my day at the Marathon Weekend/Dopey Challenge Expo! Day Two - Walt Disney World 5kI have to be honest, on the mornings before my wife arrived my biggest concern was actually waking up. 5k Day, good start! Although it was so early, my phone still thought I was on CA time (11:33pm)
 The first of 4 VERY early mornings at Epcot  Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth  Absolutely loved that they put a display of what characters would be out before the race.
 A full hour after the race started I finally began my Dopey Journey!   Since the 5k wasn't timed, I was in no rush at all.     It was then off to Disney's Hollywood Studios for some after race fun and pics.  It's one of the tips in our "10 Dopey Tips" video, but seriously, spring for the PhotoPass package. It's so worth it.  After a quiet morning at the park experiencing some of my favorite attractions and some gross pizza, I called it a day at about 1:00pm and headed back to the hotel.  Seriously, people are going to miss this?  This is what's going to be missed  After nap time and since I didn't think we'd ever be staying at the All Stars again, I decided to take a little tour around the hotel.  Nothing against the hotel, it's great for families. But our kids are grown. Maybe someday if/when we have grandkids we'll be back. Although we really do love the Moderates.  It was great for me for my first 2 nights of the Dopey as I was literally just in the room to sleep. Which did prove hard due to the thin walls.  If you'd like to see more of the All Star Movies resort, you can view the slideshow below.  After a quiet dinner in the room it was "put on a movie you've seen a lot and fall asleep early" time. 10k morning would be here before we know it! Day Three - 10k Day 10k Day is here! It's another cold one, but some running would actually be taking place today!   Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth  Since I had to wait so long to start the 5k I made a point to get near the front of my corral so I could start a bit earlier for the 10k  Cold morning but ready to go!  I see you balloon ladies ...      Loved seeing the World Showcase Cast Members out for pictures!  On the boardwalk. I see you hotel we'll be checking into in just a few hours!   
 10k day was eventful, but also not photo worthy. Had a fantastic brunch with our American Cancer Society team, got to talk about my sister a bit. Checked into the Beach Club and then had to pick up my wife at MCO. We ended our night with a nice quiet dinner at Epcot before turning in early. Day Four - Walt Disney World Half Marathon Now at the Beach Club, I actually had somebody to take my picture before heading to the bus!  Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth
 It was Poncho day/back-up running shoes day (another one of our upcoming tips)  For the first day we ventured outside of the Epcot area  Blurry selfie with our amazing American Cancer Society Development Manager Ashley!  Running down Main Street is so awesome 
 OMG, Derkwerng Derck! =)
 After a nice shower it was off to the Magic Kingdom for a day of fun!   I of course had to visit my buddy Donald and show off my medal. He was quite impressed.   Best time for Castle pics is when there is a cavalcade passing by.  Also went on the Liberty Belle for the first (and likely last) time  After a nice and chill few hours at Magic Kingdom, it was time for a monorail hop over to Epcot and a late lunch/early dinner at Le Cellier. Our first (definitely not last) time here.
 We had a lot of good meals during our trip, but this was probably the best one. The rest of the day was pretty much spent chilling at the hotel and we were in bed by 8:00pm. A very long day is coming up! Day Five - Walt Disney World Marathon Day Here we go! The last early morning and the culmination of everything!  Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth  It was COLD and also the day of many hats! You'll see ...  I had thought about ditching my beanie before the start, then figured I'd just wear it until it got too sweaty and toss it. That was the right call!
 Just got this picture this week. At the TTC I got a fist bump from Ashley our American Cancer Society rock star! This is the kind of support that is priceless!  So many people warned me about the stretch between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, but TBH I didn't think it was bad. The loops around the MK parking lot were the worst IMO.
 Seriously, there is no better feeling of accomplishment. Look at all those smiles. We all know it's over!  And of course a celebratory ride on Guardians of the Galaxy to cap off the Dopey Challenge! Yes, we did this right after I ran a marathon!  Amazing dinner at 'Ohana. Lots of other fellow Dopey's there that night! Day Six to Ten - The Runcation! Shockingly enough, the next morning we found ourselves at Disney's Animal Kingdom to start our Runcation. We ended up spending 4 additional days in Florida and honestly, I was mostly okay for the duration.
 In fact, the only day I went back to take a nap at the hotel was the day after the Marathon. Of course, most of our days were VERY chill.
 Lots of fabulous meals, lots of medal pics in all of the parks and just a nice chill time.
 We even got to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Space Mountain and Carousel of Progress (at Magic Kingdom)  Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth. Well, last night in Florida Spaceship Earth picture. Dopey Tips!I want to share our Dopey Tips video below, be sure you check it out if you are planning on taking on this challenge. I did a LOT of research for the Dopey, so I've incorporated some of that into this video. Surprisingly, I didn't find a lot of tips on spectating for the Dopey and most likely other WDW Race Weekends. So I've also included tips for spectators. I wanted to list them here in addition to sharing the video. Spectator Tips:
Runner Tips:
Thank you all for checking out our Dopey Challenge video series and reading all of this if you made it that far. I also want to give a shout out to my amazing wife and family for support through this entire thing. And most importantly, thank you to everybody who took the time out to donate to the American Cancer Society and all of the other charitable organizations. It's truly amazing to see the generosity of others, during a time when we can really use it. That last bit is kind of an extra bonus tip! If you want to do any runDisney race, and don't want to worry about registration issues, find one of the many charities that are offering bibs for any of the races (it's not just for Dopey). I promise you the satisfaction you will get from fundraising for an amazing charity will be just as amazing as the rewards at the finish line! Related Videos
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Mickey Mouse takes center stage when Fantasmic! makes its long-awaited return on Nov. 3, 2022, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The legendary nighttime spectacular invites guests into Mickey’s imagination for a larger-than-life show featuring stunning effects, thrilling stunts, dazzling pyrotechnics and a rousing score based on classic Disney animated films. It’s all painted on a grand canvas of dancing water overflowing with silly and suspenseful surprises. (Matt Stroshane, Photographer)            Last week Renée made her first visit to WDW in awhile and sent some great pics of the goings on at Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. In addition, she had some amazing pics with Grogu, so if you missed Grogu's Day Out last week, be sure to check it out. You won't be disappointed. Written by Renée Girard  Good morning from Disney’s Hollywood Studios! I haven’t been in this park since July, should be interesting!  And I haven’t been on RotR in over a year. Hopefully the ride is running smoothly today! It was my first time using the virtual queue from home.  Conquered Toy Story Land in less than an hour.    Kylo Ren and storm troopers looking down at guests in Galaxy’s Edge.  I love how WDW has recently stepped up their game with the vegetarian food options. Docking Bay 7 in Galaxy’s Edge has one of my favorites, the Felucian Kefta and hummus garden spread.  The character cavalcades are fun to see. The only thing that bugs me is as they approach, guests don’t care about distancing and get up right next to you at the last minute to see them.     The park feels busy-ish but wait times for most rides are posted at 30-45 minutes and don’t take that long. Love Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway!   Rise of the Resistance was perfect. I hope I don’t have to wait another year till I get to ride it again.     First time park hopping since last March, and also first time seeing these big guys.  Caught the Mickey and friends cavalcade.   I honestly didn’t know that the new area in France that recently opened is literally just bathrooms and bloggers looking through the wall.   It’s nice to see the arts represented once again for the fifth annual Festival of the Arts at Epcot. That animated little f**ker is back as the icon.   The Voices of Liberty are a must see when visiting Epcot. Great to see them on the big stage performing Disney songs for the Festival of the Arts.   I love the new storyline for Gran Fiesta Tour. Donald bails before their big show! Face with tears of joy  Also my first time seeing the fountain, which looks great. Epcot is still very much under construction but if it’s going to look as good as this when it’s done, I’ll take it. Related Videos
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